Nuri Kamal al-Maliki

Johan Spanner/Polaris, for The New York Times

News about Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 13, 2015

Iraqi government celebrates near-total victory in its push to reclaim northern city of Tikrit from Islamic State militants, feat it accomplished without aid of United States airstrikes; Prime Min Haider al-Abadi, in hailing triumph, is careful to balance praise for American and Iranian allies; offensive highlights growing role of Shiite militias and Iranian military officials in campaign, trend that has alarmed some US officials. MORE

Sep. 29, 2014

Pres Obama tells 60 Minutes that United States underestimated the rise of the Islamic State militants and placed too much trust in Iraqi military to fight such Sunni extremists; rebuts critics who say his refusal to intervene more directly in Syrian civil war and his decision to pull all American troops out of Iraq in 2011 had created conditions that allowed the rise of Islamic State, instead pointing the finger at former Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. MORE

Sep. 29, 2014

Many Shiite residents of Baghdad's Karada neighborhood, which has come under attack from Sunni extremists in Islamic State, fault Shiite-led government and Shiite-dominated police force for failing to uphold public security and impartial justice; most specifically fault former Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. MORE

Aug. 20, 2014

Iraqis hope that Haider al-Abadi will be different type of Islamist than Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and will succeed in governing Iraq in an inclusive way; Abadi is in some ways solidly in line with traditional sectarian views held by Shiite Islamists in the country, which raises question of whether Abadi can overcome this history and forge a more inclusive government. MORE

Aug. 15, 2014

Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki agrees to step down and end challenge to nomination of his replacement Haider al-Abadi; decision comes after pressure from within Iraq and the United States and Iran, and holds out prospect of peaceful transition of power. MORE

Aug. 15, 2014

Editorial warns that there should be no illusion that Iraqi Pres Haider al-Abadi will quickly end country's crises, just because Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki agrees to step down; notes that history of American-backed regime changes is rife with failures. MORE

Aug. 14, 2014

Iraq's Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki says he will press ahead in Iraqi courts with his bid to retain power, and will not turn to the army. MORE

Aug. 13, 2014

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s defiant fight to retain power in Iraq appears to collapse and the conversation in Baghdad shifts to how he would leave office and on what terms; discussions are centering on offering Maliki the position of vice president, a ceremonial post that would come with immunities and a security detail and would allow him to remain in palatial government housing inside country's fortified Green Zone. MORE

Aug. 12, 2014

Iraqi lawmakers, under heavy pressure from United States, take significant step by nominating Shiite leader Haider al-Abadi to replace Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, widely blamed for country's polarized politics; Maliki angrily rejects move, vowing to fight in courts and perhaps by use of force, throwing Iraq into new uncertainty as it fights onslaught by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria terrorists. MORE

Aug. 12, 2014

Both former Pres George W Bush and Pres Obama have found Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to be mercurial and often an unconstructive ally who caused as many headaches as he solved; Obama administration is trying to maneuver Maliki one last time in hope of replacing him with a more reliable figure who can pull country together and work more collaboratively with Washington. MORE

Aug. 12, 2014

Editorial urges Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to step aside and let Haider al-Abadi replace him as prime minister; contends country desperately needs a unifying hand at the helm, particularly in light of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria militants who are rapidly overrunning the country. MORE

Aug. 6, 2014

Editorial welcomes fact that alarming new military advances by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have forced Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to put future of his country over his political disputes and order military support for Kurdish forces battling extremists; laments Iraq's political paralysis that has prevented selection of new prime minister who can unify Iraq seems unending. MORE

Jul. 28, 2014

Op-Ed article by Iraqi government officials Rafe al-Essawi and Atheel al-Nujaifi notes Iran and the United States have used their influence to insist that Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, a sectarian-minded Shiite Muslim, remain prime minister; warns this has made situation in country perilous, particularly for Sunnis; contends that only a government with significant Sunni participation can combat the Sunni Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. MORE

Jul. 24, 2014

Editorial condemns crackdown by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Iraqi Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities in Mosul; urges strong international response to crisis; accuses Iraq's Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of making situation worse and calls for his replacement. MORE

Jul. 15, 2014

Memo From Iraq; Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's reactions to Sunni militants who are claiming territory in the country are echoing those of former strongman Saddam Hussein; while his Shiite-led government had previously not sunk into the outright dictatorship that Hussein's Sunni-dominated Baath Party commanded, lately it has mostly dispensed with allowing journalists to ask questions and has pulled the plug on social media. MORE

Jul. 12, 2014

Struggle between leadership of Iraq and country's Kurdish minority intensifies as Kurds seize two oil production facilities in Kirkuk Province and Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki replaces Foreign Min Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, with Hussain Shahristani, a Shiite. MORE

Jul. 11, 2014

Kurdish government calls on Iraqi Prim Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to step down after Maliki accuses the Kurds of turning their regional capital into headquarters of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, as well as harboring members of Baath Party of former Pres Saddam Hussein and other opponents of Iraqi government. MORE

Jul. 10, 2014

Iraq’s Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki accuses Kurds of aiding Sunni militants, even as sectarian tensions appears to be rising with the discovery of 50 bodies, blindfolded, bound and shot about 50 miles south of Baghdad; part of Maliki's anger is over persistent demand for Kurdish independence, even as Iraq is in the midst of trying to form a new government. MORE

Jul. 5, 2014

Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki says he will seek third term, despite criticism from almost every political party in country and international pressure to step down. MORE

Jul. 3, 2014

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki says that finding a political settlement to the differences among the country’s factions is not as important or urgent as fighting extremist Sunni insurgents; at same time he offers amnesty to anyone who fought with or supported the insurgents; International supporters of Iraq have criticized Maliki for failing to form an inclusive government. MORE

Jun. 29, 2014

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column contends sectarian and nationalist fires burning in the Middle East may not be natural or inevitable; suggests 'arsonists' like Syrian Pres Bashar al-Assad and Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, and other leaders, inflame and fuel such fires until they are blazing. MORE

Jun. 28, 2014

Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Abdul Mehdi al-Karbalaie calls on nation's political blocs to select a new prime minister before Parliament sits; his public call for a political solution increases pressure on embattled Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. MORE

Jun. 28, 2014

Editorial warns that unified Iraq is becoming less likely as violent offensive by Sunni militants grows; faults Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki for failing to work toward solution to catastrophe that his policies have created; holds that military advice and support from United States will accomplish little if Maliki and other leaders refuse to join together to preserve unity. MORE

Jun. 27, 2014

Shiite political leaders are trying to decide who should be Iraq's next prime minister, as first armed American drones begin flying over country; for first time, some of Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's own party members express doubt that he will be viable candidate. MORE

Jun. 20, 2014

Iraqi leaders, alarmed over escalating Sunni insurgency that is threatening to partition the country, are actively seeking to replace Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki with someone supported by all Iraqi sects; Pres Obama joins the call for change, saying that any Iraqi leader must be a unifier; at least three people have emerged as possible candidates, with more potential nominees in the wings. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has resisted calls to work toward reconciling Sunni Arabs and Kurds, instead spending most of his time running his country’s military strategy and trying to recruit Shiites to battle Sunni militants; lack of trust across ethnic lines is stirring political opposition from potential allies. MORE

Jun. 16, 2014

Pres Obama, weighing airstrikes against militants in Iraq, concludes that any American military action will be conditional on a political plan to resolve country's sectarian crisis; pushes Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, a Shiite, to work with nation's Kurds to persuade the disaffected Sunni minority that next government will represent interests of all three groups. MORE

Jun. 15, 2014

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column argues that while Pres Obama and his Republican adversaries all bear some responsibility for crisis in Iraq, it is Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki who is most culpable; argues that Maliki systematically marginalized Sunnis and weakened organizations that were a bulwark against extremists who are now overrunning his country; argues that it is still not too late for a political solution if Maliki will share power with Sunnis. MORE

Jun. 14, 2014

Shiites respond by the thousands to call to arms issued by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to protect fellow Shiites and to prop up Shiite government of Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki; strong response is in part due to fact that Shiites feel that they are on verge of squandering opportunity to rule in Iraq; reliance on Shiite militias to combat Islamic State in Iraq and Syria fighters raises chilling memories of sectarian war that raged there from 2005 to 2008. MORE

Jun. 13, 2014

Editorial contends it is astonishing that Iraqis and Americans seem to have been caught flat-footed by speed of victories by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria insurgents and army defections; maintains Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is primarily to blame for catastrophe; warns against United States military action in the country. MORE

Jun. 12, 2014

Sunni militants, many aligned with radical Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, are consolidating and expanding their takeover of northern Iraq, seizing Tikrit, threatening oil-refining town of Baiji and pushing south toward Baghdad; militant groups, including Baathist commanders from Hussein era, appear to have banded together with goal of ousting government of Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. MORE

Jun. 12, 2014

American officials report that Obama administration declined request by Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to carry out airstrikes against militant staging areas in western Iraq as threat was growing; swift capture of Mosul by militants aligned with Islamic State in Iraq and Syria underscores how conflicts in Syria and Iraq have converged into one widening regional insurgency; also highlights White House's reluctance to open new chapter in Iraqi conflict Pres Obama has insisted was closed. MORE

Jun. 12, 2014

Op-Ed article by researcher Nussaibah Younis asserts the United States must compel Iraq's government to address grievances of Sunni minority in order to achieve reconciliation in aftermath of insurgent takeover of Mosul; warns military means alone will not achieve lasting success; holds Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki cannot be allowed to behave as dictator, as such governance only fuels insurgency. MORE

May. 20, 2014

Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and his Shiite Islamist political coalition secure largest number of seats in parliamentary elections, putting him in strong position to secure third term; margin of victory is greater than most analysts had forecast. MORE

May. 1, 2014

Millions of Iraqis defy threats from Islamist extremists to vote for new Parliament, in what is seen as referendum on Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. MORE

Apr. 30, 2014

Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki faces a long list of rivals and a longer list of grievances as Iraqis prepare for national elections, their first since the withdrawal of American forces. MORE

Feb. 19, 2014

Moktada al-Sadr, anti-American Shiite cleric, reaffirms he is withdrawing from Iraqi politics, telling his followers in Parliament to continue to serve but not on his behalf; encourages all Iraqis to participate in nation's elections and criticizes government of Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. MORE

Jan. 20, 2014

Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, in attempt to put down insurgency led by Al Qaeda-affiliated militants, has embraced same strategy Americans used in 2007, paying and arming local Sunni tribal fighters to fight as proxies; his efforts to recruit Sunni fighters have been hampered by local mistrust of the government and fear of Qaeda revenge. MORE

Jan. 4, 2014

Sunni militants of Al Qaeda destroy Falluja Police Headquarters and mayor's office, plant their flag atop other government buildings and decree the Iraqi city to be their new independent state; advances by Al-Qaeda-aligned Islamic State in Iraq and Syria are escalating threat to Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. MORE

Jan. 1, 2014

Editorial warns that sending more weapons to Iraq, which Pres Obama has predictably done to counter rising violence, will not solve a problem that has its roots in the political alienation of Sunnis and other minorities; accuses Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of undermining the democratic process; urges the Obama administration to pressure Maliki and other Iraqi leaders to commit to democracy as well as security. MORE

Nov. 2, 2013

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, during visit to White House, presses Pres Obama for help in fighting Qaeda terrorists in his country’s lawless west. MORE

Nov. 2, 2013

Editorial criticizes Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki for seeking American military aid to alleviate violence and chaos in his country only a few years after forcing American troops to leave; contends United States should resist providing weapons to an authoritarian leader who has consistently stoked sectarian tensions. MORE

Nov. 1, 2013

Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is appealing for military aid from the United States as he prepares to meet with Pres Obama; Maliki is being aided by Washington lobbying firm Podesta Group as he tries to win over a Congress and an American public reluctant to revisit the past in Iraq. MORE

Oct. 30, 2013

Influential group of United States senators sends a strongly worded letter to Pres Obama warning that Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, who is scheduled to visit Washington, has contributed to the surge of violence in the country by mismanaging Iraqi politics. MORE

Sep. 28, 2013

Inability of government of Iraq's Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to control sectarian violence is drawing complaints of incompetence and corruption, adding to isolation of Shiite leadership already struggling to contain growing Sunni unrest. MORE

Sep. 3, 2013

Memo From Iraq; human rights advocates warn that Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's government is mimicking many of the repressive tactics of Saddam Hussein's regime, even as the government takes steps to remind Iraqis of Hussein's brutal ways. MORE

Aug. 28, 2013

Iraq’s top court overturns term-limits law that would have prevented Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki from seeking third term in 2014; opposition members of Parliament accuse court of succumbing to political pressure. MORE

Jul. 30, 2013

Editorial holds brazen attacks that freed as many as 800 militants in Iraq are evidence of Al Qaeda's growing strength in region; maintains events raise new questions about effectiveness of Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and overall stability of Iraq itself. MORE

Jun. 10, 2013

Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq visits Kurdistan region for first time in more than two years, symbolic step toward resolving long-running dispute over oil and land; better relations with Kurds could relieve pressure on Maliki and his Shiite-led government in coping with surge in sectarian violence spilling over from Syria. MORE

The deployment will double the number of Americans meant to train and advise Iraqi and Kurdish forces as they plan a major offensive against Islamic State fighters who have poured into Iraq from Syria.